When Irish Eyes Are Swollen: How Sergio Martinez Beat Matthew Macklin On St. Patrick's Day

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Everyone in the boxing world is gearing up for September 15, which will see not one but TWO mega fight cards in Vegas -- one of them featuring Argentine middleweight king Sergio Martinez versus Mexican scion Julio César Chavez Jr. This account of Martinez's last match, against Matthew Macklin, is by the hilariously sardonic boxing writer Hamilton Nolan -- maybe the best writer on Deadspin. A sample:

There is no logical reason why a man who weighs 220 pounds cannot learn the rudiments of boxing just as well as a man who weighs 120 pounds; still, overwhelming real-world data show that two men who weigh 220 pounds will usually, except under very rare circumstances, combine for a display of chest-heaving, squared-up brawling unworthy of the name "boxing." It's a mystery of our world.